More Effective and Affordable Cancer Treatment with AI: Ellogon Secures €1 Million Investment for Immunotherapy Innovation

Haarlem, March 11, 2024 – ROM InWest and UvA Ventures Holding have jointly invested €1 million in Ellogon, a specialist in AI applications for healthcare. This investment will allow the company to further scale and integrate its solution, EIDOSTM, into existing immunotherapy—a targeted cancer treatment. The goal is to make immunotherapy more precise, ensuring accessible and affordable care for all.

Enhancing Immunotherapy Success with AI

“Unfortunately, immunotherapy is not effective for everyone,” explains Robert Kuipers, CEO of Ellogon. “Currently, about 50% of patients receiving immunotherapy do not experience any results, while around 15% of non-selected patients could likely benefit from it. Our solution helps to more accurately determine the likelihood of success for each patient. This improves survival rates while also keeping healthcare costs under control. In concrete terms, our solution could lead to annual savings of €500 million in the Netherlands and as much as €13 billion across EU member states.”

AI-Driven Cancer Treatment Selection

EIDOSTM is a CE-IVDD-certified AI-powered solution designed to select patients for immunotherapy, a relatively new cancer treatment method. It is one of the key outcomes of Ellogon’s strategic partnership with the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI), initiated in 2020 to advance AI applications in cancer treatment. EIDOSTM is not only highly effective but also easy to integrate into clinical practice.

Ensuring Affordable Care for All

Immunotherapy remains extremely expensive, with costs ranging from €50,000 to €200,000 per patient. Meanwhile, demand for affordable cancer treatments is rapidly increasing, with cancer cases expected to rise by 70% over the next 20 years.
“ROM InWest is investing in Ellogon because EIDOSTM ensures that patients who will truly benefit from immunotherapy actually receive it,” says Janet Nieboer, CEO of ROM InWest. “This is a great example of how digitalization can help keep healthcare both accessible and affordable for everyone.”

Proud Contribution to Cancer Treatment Innovations

Rudi Rust, CEO of UvA Ventures, shares Nieboer’s enthusiasm:
“We are excited to announce our investment in Ellogon, a company at the forefront of cancer immunotherapy. Founded in 2019 at the University of Amsterdam, Ellogon offers groundbreaking technology for precise patient selection in this critical field. We are proud to support Ellogon’s mission and contribute to advancing cancer treatment with more personalized and effective solutions.”

Immunotherapy: A Popular and Promising Cancer Treatment

Immunotherapy works by activating the patient’s immune system to attack cancer cells, aiming to prevent the spread of cancer, control the disease, or eliminate it entirely. This treatment has gained widespread popularity, as it triples overall survival rates compared to traditional cancer therapies. Many hospitals in the Netherlands now prescribe immunotherapy.

About ROM InWest

ROM InWest is the regional development agency for North Holland, based in Haarlem. With a team of 30 dedicated professionals, ROM InWest supports entrepreneurs whose innovations contribute to the food transition, energy transition, healthcare transition, circular economy, and a strong, sustainable, and socially responsible economy in North Holland. The agency helps businesses scale and secure funding through various programs and directly invests in companies via the SME Fund and the Transition Fund. ROM InWest also collaborates closely with regional partners to provide knowledge and networking opportunities.
More information: www.rominwest.nl

About UvA Ventures Holding

UvA Ventures Holding is an early-stage investor in academic spin-off companies from the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The firm works closely with academics and entrepreneurs in the earliest stages of business formation, supporting the commercialization of academic knowledge.
More information: www.uvaventures.nl